Cornish Character
Cornwall has long been associated with gentle pursuits – leisurely strolls along the coast; delicious cream teas. But there’s a much more dynamic side to this area of the West Country, as writer Vicki Power discovers in the Leisure Retreats feature in the October issue
As a middle-aged mum, surfing has never been high on my ‘to-do’ list. It’s just below bungee jumping and potholing. But when I promised to take my teenage son, Gabe, away for a long weekend to Cornwall, I knew that doing the rounds of Bude’s quaint galleries and tea rooms just wouldn’t cut it with a thrill-seeking 19-year-old.
But Cornwall’s unique location – right on the very western tip of the UK – makes it a giant playground. On one side you have lush countryside, on the other, a dramatic jagged coastline buffeted by Atlantic rollers.
We met our surf coach on the beach at Widemouth Bay, south of Bude. Even if my experience turned out to be a disaster (which thankfully, it didn’t; both of us got the hang of it surprisingly quickly), I really didn’t care. It was worth it just for the spectacular backdrop. The Atlantic Ocean glittered on the horizon, white rocky cliff-tops lined the distance and acres of soft sand blurred into the distance. It was a food-for-the-soul kind of view; one of the many we were to drink in during our stay there.
